Federal-Mogul Powertrain Debuts IROX® 2 Polymer Bearings

"IROX was developed for crankshafts with a standard surface finish, whereas IROX 2 is intended for crankshafts with extra smooth finish running with thinner oils," explained Gian Maria Olivetti, Chief Technology Officer, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. "Compared to aluminum bearing surfaces, both IROX and IROX 2 provide reduced friction and greater wear resistance, whereas in comparison to IROX, IROX 2 features further enhanced seizure performance, so we can offer each customer the optimum formulation for their specific application. By reducing friction, the innovative bearing coatings also help to lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions."

The bearings have an overlay that is a PAI (Polyamide-imide) polymer resin binder containing a number of additives dispersed throughout the matrix. Developing IROX 2 involved modification of the binder system on a molecular level, coupled with subtle changes to the composition. For example, compared to IROX, IROX 2 contains no silicon carbide particles and has a higher content of a synergistic mixture of solid lubricants.

Extensive testing and validation

"IROX bearings are already used by 46 engine platforms around the world, with over 150 million bearings now in service, contributing to reducing engine friction and improving efficiency while also enabling the use of a lower viscosity oil," said Stefan Rittmann, Director of Technology, Bearings, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. "Rigorous testing throughout the engine speed range shows the reduction in friction when using IROX-coated bearings is bigger than that obtained by changing from 5W30 to 0W20 oil."

During the development of IROX 2, Federal-Mogul Powertrain used specialized test rigs, many of which were developed in-house, including a special bearing friction rig that tests actual bearings, not just flat material samples. It can take the bearing through a complete sweep of shaft speeds in a single seamless test cycle, allowing the comprehensive study of frictional behaviour under boundary, mixed and full-fluid film lubrication, with precise control. Other tests included seizure resistance, using a motored single cylinder test rig applying an actual con-rod and piston; conformability, run under cycling load with a tilted con-rod; as well as wear and fatigue.

The new polymer-coated high-performance bearings can be applied to both light and heavy-duty engines, and are particularly effective in hybrid and start/stop applications that place additional demands on bearings through frequent re-starting. Sample bearings with the IROX 2 coating are already with customers for evaluation and series production will commence later this year. Federal-Mogul Powertrain will exhibit the new IROX 2 polymer-coated bearings, alongside many of its other products at the 2017 IAA Show from 12-15 September (Press and Trade days only) at Booth E33 in Hall 4.1.

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul LLC is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world's manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company's products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.

Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world's most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, wipers and a range of chassis components. The company's aftermarket brands include ANCO^® wiper blades; Beck/Arnley^® premium OE quality parts and fluids; BERU^®* ignition systems; Champion^® lighting, spark plugs, wipers and filters; Interfil^® filters; AE^®, Fel-Pro^®, FP Diesel^®, Goetze^®, Glyco^®, Nüral^®, Payen^® and Sealed Power^® engine products; MOOG^® chassis components; and Ferodo^®, Jurid^® and Wagner^® brake products and lighting.

Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The Company has nearly 53,000 employees in 24 countries. For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com.

*BERU is a registered trademark of BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH

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SOURCE Federal-Mogul Powertrain